Schools, students should avoid bullying anyone

In all the discussions concerning the Feb. 14 school shooting in Florida, there is one discussion that seems to have been glossed over. It concerns bullying.

Throughout all the demonstrating going on by the students, I have yet to hear the students take responsibility for the way some of them may have treated the shooter. All of us have gone to school and have seen some kids put down for one reason or another.

Most of us would not take part in this form of discrimination, but have we ever done anything to help stop that kind of thoughtless behavior? Mark Twain has said that the worst word in the dictionary is "exclude."

One person recently shared these words on Facebook: "Often the school shooters have been found to be the outcasts: The ones excluded, neglected and bullied. For certain, none of them were the popular kids. So I have a suggestion for all those students walking out of school to protest. How about walking right back in and befriending some of those students you leave out at recess and never sit with at lunch -- those you laugh at and make snarky remarks about within earshot. Want to change the climate of your school? Then get back in there and be nice to everyone."

Someone once asked Billy Graham: If Christianity is valid, why is there so much evil in the world? To this the famous preacher replied, "With so much soap, why are there so many dirty people in the world? Christianity, like soap, must be personally applied if it is to make a difference in our lives."